James Martin (chef)

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James Martin (chef)

James Martin
Born James Martin
(1972-06-30) 30 June 1972 (age 40)
Malton, North Riding of Yorkshire, England

James Martin (born 30 June 1972 in Malton, North Riding of Yorkshire), is an English chef who first appeared on television in 1996.

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Early life [edit]

Martin's family were farmers on the Castle Howard estate and he helped his mother in the kitchen, which started his interest in cuisine. He attended Amotherby School in Malton and Malton School, the local comprehensive where he was a member of the school rugby and cricket teams, but did not enjoy academic subjects due to undiagnosed dyslexia. He then studied catering at Scarborough Technical College where he was a star student and upon leaving he was offered jobs by Anthony Worrall Thompson and Brian Turner who were judges for his final exams. He then joined the staff of Worrall Thompson's 'One Ninety Queen's Gate' restaurant in Kensington, London. After three years there he became head chef at the Hotel Du Vin in Winchester.[1]

Television career [edit]

He first started to appear on television in 1996 with various programmes including "James Martin: Yorkshire's Finest" (set in various Yorkshire locations with an emphasis on Yorkshire cuisine) but came to wider public attention on the BBC 2 programme Ready Steady Cook. In 2005 Martin was partnered with Camilla Dallerup in Strictly Come Dancing, a celebrity ballroom dancing TV show, coming fourth.

Martin co-presented BBC Food's "Stately Suppers" with Alistair Appleton, and then appeared on the Channel 4 programme Richard & Judy, where he would visit a member of the public in their own home who had been nominated to be cooked a 'comfort food' meal. He is now the presenter of the new version of the BBC 1 show Saturday Kitchen, which is being made by Cactus TV, the company behind the "Richard & Judy" show.

In 2007 he starred in a BBC 2 series named Sweet Baby James (named in reference to the James Taylor song) in which he focused on desserts, puddings and cakes while visiting places from his culinary past that have inspired his recipes. Upcoming chef Will Torrent appeared as his assistant.

Martin appeared on Blue Peter in April 2007 on Can You Cook It? being a celebrity judge choosing the new Blue Peter "Junior Chef".[2]

In June and July 2007, he appeared co-hosting the 12 Yard series The Great British Village Show on BBC 1. He finished off the year with a series on UKTV Food called James Martin's Christmas Feasts.

He filmed a 30 part series for the BBC in 2007 called Eating with the Enemy which was held back for a year before finally being broadcast in July and August 2008.

James Martin holds the world record for carrot chopping in which he peeled and chopped 515g of carrots in one minute, during a Ready Steady Cook Children in Need Special.

In September 2011, James was tasked with revamping the menu and catering facilities at Scarborough General Hospital, the programme being titled, Operation Hospital Food and shown on BBC TV. The show was well received and a restaurant was renamed 'Pat's Place', in honour of the Catering Manager who had worked there for 21 years.

Journalism [edit]

Martin writes a motoring column for UK newspaper the Mail on Sunday. In 2009, Martin wrote in his column that he deliberately drove an electric Tesla Roadster in a manner that startled two cyclists causing a “look of sheer terror as they tottered into the hedge”. Following criticism from cycling groups and professionals such as Bradley Wiggins and Stuart O'Grady, he apologized for the statements. Complaints said that the driving was illegal and dangerous.[3][4][5]

Product range [edit]

A Cuisina by James Martin hob

In 2008, Martin released the Cuisina by James Martin range of appliances that he personally helped to design.[6] The range was launched by Premium Appliance Brands[6] having been designed with the aid of Bigblue Product Design.

In 2003, Martin released the Stellar James Martin range of cookware that he designed and styled in collaboration with Stellar.

Restaurant [edit]

James Martin opened his restaurant, called "The Leeds Kitchen", inside the Alea Casino at Clarence Dock, Leeds on Saturday 9 April 2011.[7] The casino, and with it the restaurant, closed in March 2013. [8]

Personal life [edit]

Martin has a passion for performance cars[6] which led to him entering a vintage Maserati in the 2008 Mille Miglia.[9] This was televised on 28 December 2008. He failed to complete the race.

References [edit]

  1. ^ Daily Mail Weekend Interview. 7 July 2012, p6
  2. ^ "Can you cook it?". The BBC. Retrieved 2009-11-18. 
  3. ^ "Martin sorry over cycling article". BBC News Online. 16 Sep 2009. 
  4. ^ "TV Chef James Martin Cooks Up A Storm With Anti-cycling Remarks". BikeRadar. 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2013-04-01. 
  5. ^ Martin, James (2009-09-12). "The Tesla Roadster is the all-electric supercar that's as fast as a Ferrari". London: Daily Mail.  (The Daily Mail website does not show the text in question.)
  6. ^ a b c KBBNews - News feature
  7. ^ The Leeds Kitchen[dead link]
  8. ^ Published on Tuesday 5 March 2013 09:08 (2013-03-05). "Alea Leeds Clarence Dock casino to close UPDATED - Top Stories". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 2013-04-01. 
  9. ^ "BBC Two - The Real Italian Job: James Martin's Mille Miglia". Bbc.co.uk. 2012-09-30. Retrieved 2013-04-01. 

External links [edit]
Authority control
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